6 Easy-to-grow Vegetables

Credit: Gerilee McBride

Even for novice gardeners, these six vegetables flourish with very little help

Is your thumb anything but green? These easy-to-grow veggies make gardening a breeze

When your seeds aren’t sprouting, it’s easy to get frustrated in the garden. But a little success is all you need to turn things around. These six vegetables grow like wildfire, and are perfect for gardeners in need of some good fortune.

Zucchini

Yes, zucchini. The veggie that gives so much you’ll be handing them out to friends and family like hotcakes. People may start to hide at the sight of “gifts,” but you can always console yourself with the dozens of chocolate-zucchini cupcakes you’ll be able to make.

Tip: Pick zucchinis when they are small, as letting them develop into behemoths dilutes their bright taste.

Beans

Pretty much any type of bean (from bush to pole) will grow and produce like wildfire, so much so that you’ll be able to pick a couple of handfuls daily throughout the summer.

Pole beans will need some kind of support structure for the vine to climb and twine – make a sturdy teepee of long poles or sticks, or plant against a tall fence. If the bean vines reach the top of your structure you can always trail them back down again.

Tip: Plant the “bush” variety of beans if you plan to can or pickle your harvest, as the smaller more compact shape lends itself to jars.

Lettuce

There is something incredible about the taste of fresh lettuce from the garden, and a little lettuce seed goes a long way when creating a variety of different salads. You can practically just toss the seeds into your garden bed and heads of lettuce will appear in droves. Pick new growth as soon as it comes up, otherwise your little greens will bolt and become giant lettuce trees.

Tip: Lettuce likes a cooler climate so make sure to keep the soil moist during the growing season.

Peas

Just as prolific as beans, from snap to snow to the kind you shell before you eat, peas are a wonderful addition to any vegetable garden. They’re fun to watch grow (you can start them as early as the soil can be worked) and they produce pretty little flowers that attract bees. Peas also prefer a cooler climate and if it’s a particularly cool spring you can plant another set about three weeks after the first.

Tip: Be vigilant with your spray bottle of mild detergent as aphids can suck the life right out of your peas.

Onions

Growing onions is easy, and they’re definitely tastier than when you buy them from the grocery store. Bulb onions are readily available in a variety of flavours, from yellow to white to red.

Plant a row and in as little as two weeks you could be chopping some green onions into your salad; wait a little longer (until the tops start to fall over) and you will have fresh onions to add to your soups, stews and stir-fry.

Tip: Store your onions in a cool place covered with a mesh bag that allows air to circulate.

Leeks

These long and lithe alliums will keep your onion harvest going well into winter. Once you’ve had a leek from your garden you’ll wonder why you ever bothered sourcing them anywhere else. Leeks are easy to grow from seed and can be harvested mid-summer for small thin plants or left in the ground until October to December for fatter ones.

Tip: Be careful when weeding around new leek seedlings as they are quite delicate when they first sprout and can be mistaken for unwanted grass.